Spring Cleaning Outdoors: Sprucing Up Your Landscape After Winter

Does your home's exterior look drab after being neglected all winter? Spring is the perfect time to clear the outdoor clutter in anticipation of the planting season. You instantly improve your home's curb appeal and get to soak up all the warm spring weather. Here's how to do it.

Turn Over a New Leaf

We raked and raked last fall, but we always seem to end up with dead leaves in our yard come spring. Removing the brown leaves makes the lawn look better and gives the grass an all-access pass to the sun and rainwater of spring. While you're at it, pick up any sticks or branches that fell into the yard.

Clean the Beds

Now is the time to clean out your existing planting beds to prep them for the flowers or vegetables you'll plant soon. Get rid of any leaves or leftover plant debris in the beds. Till the soil to make it workable. This is also a good time to add organic material like compost to your planting beds and any soil amendments needed to make the soil fertile.

Don't forget your planters. If you use them for annuals, empty the soil you used last year and clean the pot. You can sanitize your flower pots with a mixture of 1 part household bleach to 9 parts of water. Soak the containers for 10 minutes or longer and rinse thoroughly.

All Hands on Deck

Your patio and deck can probably use a spring cleaning, too. Hose off the outdoor living spaces to get rid of dirt and sand that build up over winter. If you have a brick patio or walkway, check the joints to see if they need more sand. Scrub down your patio furniture so you're ready for outdoor entertainment.

Spruce It Up

With everything outside cleaned, you can look for little improvements that will make your landscape pop. Repaint the fence. Power wash the foundation. Add shutters to your windows. Replace the railings on your deck. These little outdoor home improvement projects get your home's exterior in shape and improve curb appeal with just a little effort and money.

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4 Steps to Whipping Your Flowerbeds into Shape for Spring

Now that spring has arrived it's time to get my yard in shape. I start by following my outdoor spring cleaning guide, which usually begins with conquering our flowerbeds. Despite my best efforts in the fall, our flowerbeds are always a mess after winter, so it takes a bit of effort to get them back in shape.
Here are the four steps I take to whip our flowerbeds into shape in the spring.

The cleanup
I'm not sure how it happens, but somehow our flowerbeds always end up full of leaves, dead plants, and sometimes even trash over the winter months. I can only guess that the winter winds brings it all in, but nonetheless, it has to be cleaned up. So, the first step to cleaning up our flowerbeds.

Removing or moving old plants
Once I have the flowerbeds cleared of debris, I start on removing old plants that have lived out their lifespans like annuals or older plants that lost their battle with the elements. Then, I remove plants that simply don't fit into my new design. If a plant is a perennial, meaning it lives for many seasons/years I almost always try to relocate it to a flowerbed where it fits in, but if that isn't possible I try to find it a home with family or friends before I toss it.

Pruning the roses
Our home came with a number of large rose bushes that have been on this property for more than 20 years. Though they don't always fit in with my design, I don't have the heart to risk transplanting them, so I leave them as they are. However, that means I have to keep up with their maintenance. Pruning rose bushes can be tricky, so it's important to identify the type of roses you have before getting started.We have repeat bloomers that like to climb, so it's best to prune then in the spring. I start by removing any dead or damaged wood, then I clip certain pieces to get them into shape.

Planting
Once I have everything cleaned up, it's time to rebuild our flowerbeds. I start by replacing the garden pebbles that were displaced or removed during the cleanup. Then, I begin planting the new plants. I place our perennials first since they will be a part of the garden for a few years. Once those are in place I add in the annuals to fill in the space.
Cleaning up the flowerbeds isn't an easy or fun job, but the result always makes it worth the effort.

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Prepare for Your Spring Garden

Before you can start your spring garden, you've got a lot of prep work to do. The better you do at prepping your garden areas, the better the end result will be. So get out in the garden before it's time to plant, and get ready for warm spring weather right now.

Clean Up

Remove any debris from your garden areas. Branches, rocks and trash may collect in these areas during winter. Throw out all that stuff, and rake up any remaining leaves left over from last year. Clear out all your drainage ditches while you're at it. Plants need proper drainage, so don't neglect this step.

If you're working with an existing garden, now is the time to repair any damage to fences, posts, trellises or raised flower beds. Replace boards and re-bury stakes as needed. A healthy garden starts with a strong foundation.

Prep the Soil

Rake or till the soil in your garden areas. Soil needs to be loose and well-aerated if you're going to use it for planting. Old mulch can be removed first or worked into the soil. This is the time-consuming part, but also the most important. Garden areas should have rich, dark soil by the time you're done working the ground.

Make sure your garden areas are level. If needed, add more soil to areas with heavy erosion in order to level out the ground. Pull up any weeds you find and throw them away. The garden should be clear, level and ready for planting before you put any new seeds or bulbs in the ground.

Remove any dead stems or foliage from existing shrubbery and plants that are already in place. Get out the pruning shears, if needed, to remove dead areas of evergreens and other landscaping in your outdoor spaces.

Protect Your Work

Lay new mulch on bare spots in your flower and vegetable beds. The new mulch will help prevent the growth of new weeds. Leave at least 2 inches of clearance between mulch the the base of tree trunks and plants.

Once your garden is prepped and ready for spring, you're ready to work on planting. Start seedlings indoors and plant bulbs in the garden in the first weeks of spring. By mid-spring, your seedlings will be ready to transplant and your bulbs should be showing signs of growth. By the time spring is over, your garden will come to life.

Next article: 10 Spring Blooming Plants for a Woodland Garden

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Can I Start Vegetable Plants in My House?

Tips for Starting Vegetables in a Sunny Living Room Window

When you live in an area with a short growing season, starting seedlings indoors is a great way to jump start the garden. Summer vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, beans and cucumbers can be started indoors up to 8 weeks before the start of the summer gardening season which means that you could be enjoying fresh produce as early as July.

While many gardeners start their seeds using a cold frame or greenhouse, it is also possible to start your vegetable seedlings indoors in a sunny living room or bedroom window. This is the method I used for many years before finally getting a green house. I found that a window that gets at least 5-6 hours of sunlight a day is a perfect location for jump starting a garden.

All seeds need is warmth, sunlight and moisture to start the germination process which can take anywhere from three days to a couple of weeks. Quick sprouting vegetables include favorites such as tomatoes, squashes, beans, peas, and cukes which often poke through the ground in 4 days or less. Vegetables that take longer to sprout include herbs and peppers which is why these are often the first plants that I'll start indoors.

Once these vegetables sprout however, they can only remain in the window for a few more weeks or until they reach a height of about 1-2 inches. After that, the starts must be moved outdoors during the daylight hours or place beneath a grow lamp. This prevents the spindly, tilted growth that will happen to all plants which are trying to grow in insufficient light.

On sunny days where the temperatures are nice, seedlings can be moved outside in an area of filtered light. They should be started off with just a couple of hours of sunlight a day in the beginning, with the time gradually increased until they are outdoors all day. (This is known as "hardening" them off.) On the days the temps are below 38 degrees, the plants should stay indoors or can go into a solar greenhouse where they still can benefit from natural lighting without the risk of freezing.

Bringing your vegetable plants outdoors as early as possible not only prevents spindly growth, it's a good way to get them acclimated to the weather. This way they will be ready to go into the ground after the last spring frost.

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Five Summer Gardening Secrets for Drought Areas

The efficient use of water marks summer gardening tips in drought areas. You do not have to give up your summer vegetable gardening just because there are watering restrictions in effect. Five gardening secrets spell out just how you might accomplish this feat.

Reconsider Your Flowerbeds
Do you still plant your veggies in rows? In drought areas this practice no longer works. The Colorado State University Extension recommends that you forgo this practice in favor of planting in blocks. The experts explain that block plantings create automatic shade for shallow roots while cutting down on evaporation.

Mulch around Plants with Shallow Roots
Most vegetable plants and ornamentals have shallow roots. The same is true for trees and shrubs that you planted in the last 24 months. Ground bark, shredded leaves and other organic mulches prevent the soil from drying out quickly after a good watering. Since most vegetables need full sun to grow and produce, this is particularly crucial.

Snake the Soaking Hose
Summer vegetable gardening and the installation of a soaking hose underneath the mulch should go hand in hand. Rather than creating a run-off, you are sending the water where it is needed: to the roots. When you employ this method, set your alarm clock - or your automatic watering station - for an early morning wake up. Watering just before sunrise is an ideal time since it allows surface water to dry off before the sun has fully risen, which prevents burns.

Quit Watering the Kentucky Bluegrass Lawn
A little bit of water is worse than no water. Commit to watering deeply when permitted. If you live in one of the drought areas where only brief intervals of watering can be done once or twice a week, let the Kentucky bluegrass go dormant. Avoid mowing the lawn and cut down on using it. Yes, it will go brown.

Yet, if you have true Kentucky bluegrass, it should come back when the watering restrictions are lifted and you are once again permitted to water. The trick here is to prevent the formation of a shallow root system, which is often the case with frequent short-term watering. A lawn with a deep root system can withstand the occasional drought.

Protect Against Wind and Weeds
Nothing dries soil out more quickly than summer wind and growing weeds. The former takes the moisture right out of the ground while the latter will compete with your desired plants for the available moisture. Maximize your plants' survival potential by weeding frequently.

By the way, choosing the right vegetables to grow in drought areas is just as important as protecting their roots. Tree Hugger experts suggest the planting of okra, peppers, Swiss chard and Armenian cucumbers.

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10 Drought-Tolerant Plants for Hot Climates and Sandy Soil

Hot climates and sandy soil seem to go together. Where you have one, you have the other, like in my neck of the south Georgia landscape, and that makes it doubly challenging for gardeners. Not impossible, but certainly challenging, and a true gardener will always rise to the challenge and find something they can grow in any environment in which they decide to put roots down. If home is located where the hot sun is above your head and sand under your feet, try planting and growing some of these drought-tolerant plants for hot climates and sandy soil.

Beach Sunflower
Often seen growing on sand dunes, the beach sunflower (Helianthus debilis) can grow upright or lay down like a ground cover, reaching a mature height of about three feet. It's self-seeding and requires no care.

Beautyberry

The beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) grows best in sandy soil and light shade. The plant will reach a mature height of six feet, bearing clusters of purple berries from late summer through fall.

Firebush

This tall growing bush (reaches 8-10 feet) bears nectar-rich red blooms all summer when planted in full sun and sandy soil. Firebush (Hamelia patens) is a favorite flower of hummingbirds and butterflies and the red-blooming bush will keep a steady stream of winged visitors flying around all summer.

Goldenaster

Looks similar to a yellow daisy, the goldenaster (Pityopsis graminifolia) loves to be planted in sandy soil and full sun. Goldenaster produces long-lasting yellow blooms on two-feet tall plants.

Longleaf Pine

Not a blooming plant, but an evergreen tree that produces long, graceful pine needles. Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) loves full sun and lots of moisture.

Pink Muhly

Pink muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris) is a tall blooming grass that reaches a mature height of four feet and bears showy pink blooms in the fall. Pink muhly prefers full sun, but will grow well in light shade.

Powderpuff

Low-growing ground cover that produces showy, pink powderpuff-like blooms. Powderpuff (Mimosa strigillosa) loves full sun, spreads quickly and reaches a mature height of three inches.

Silver Saw Palmetto

Tall and wide growing, the silver saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) reaches a mature size of 7 feet tall and equally as wide. Silver saw palmettos can take full sun or partial shade and are hardy in some colder climates.

Spiderwort

Spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana) loves sandy soil, but grows equally well in sun or shade. Spiderwort has a long blooming season and comes in a variety of bloom colors.

Trumpet Honeysuckle

This twining vine loves the sun and sand. Trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) produces clusters of red, tube-shaped flowers in the spring that attract hummingbirds.

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Preparing a Lawn for a Drought Summer

Managing a Lawn During a Drought Year

Last summer was the first time ever that the well on our property actually ran dry. What this means for the upcoming summer is that our family will have to make choices about what we keep green and what has to go. My fruit trees and shrubs I want to keep alive along with a vegetable garden and half a dozen pine trees. As far as the lawn, we'll let it go dormant until the fall rains bring it back to life.

Most lawns can tolerate a bit of drought providing that they've been properly prepared ahead of time. Here are a few tips that I've used during hot dry summers in the past to maintain my lawns during a low water year.

Thatch and aerate

Lawns with a heavy thatch buildup will suffer earlier from drought conditions much earlier than a lush, thick lawn. Early spring is when I rake out the thatch in my lawn with a standard leaf rake, though you can also rent a power rake to do the job for you. After the thatching, it's also a good idea to aerate the lawn if it hasn't been done in a while. Aerating will break up compacted soil so that water can drain to the roots.

Apply a top dressing

This natural way of improving the soil may be time consuming, but it pays off big when it comes to improving soil texture. Top dressing is a light (1/4-1/2-inch) scattering of a soil amenity such as compost, peat moss or composted manure. After thatching and aerating, I will apply a top dressing of compost and chicken manure with a shovel, lightly rake it out to the proper depth, and let the rain work it into the soil.

Cut higher

Because we live in a high mountain desert, we've always cut our lawn with the mower set to a 6" height as a way to reduce watering needs. Taller grass encourages deeper roots and will shade the soil which reduces water evaporation. We mow the law every 5 days so that only an inch or two of the grass is cut at a time. Once the lawn goes dormant, we stop mowing altogether.

Water

A lawn needs a little bit of water so that the crown and roots don't completely dry out. Last year, I scaled back the watering of the lawn to 1/4 inch of water once every two weeks (which I gauged with an empty tuna can). While the lawn did look patchy during the hottest part of the summer, everything came back once the temps cooled and we saw a bit of rain.

No summer fertilizing or weed treatment

For gardeners who use chemical products to fertilize and treat their yards for weeds, the last application should be mid May. During a drought summer, do not encourage new growth on a lawn that should be going dormant instead.

Avoid walking on the lawn

The lawn damages easily during dormancy which is why once the water is cut back for the summer, we avoid walking on the lawn as much as possible. Foot traffic on dormant lawns will crush the crown and compact the soil which means having to reseed damaged areas in the fall.

Drought conditions mean that many of us will have to forgo watering the lawn to keep our trees and garden beds alive. These easy steps will keep your lawn dormant until you can resume watering again in the fall.

 

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Using a Hotbed to Get a Head Start on the Growing Season or Extend It

A hotbed allows gardeners to get a head start on the gardening season or extend it. The heated bottom promotes faster seed germination, so gardeners can start seeds earlier in the season. Cuttings and divisions will also take root faster in a hotbed environment. Hotbeds extend the gardening season in fall by adding weeks to the normal growing season. Learning to use a hotbed can be beneficial to all gardeners.

What Is a Hotbed

A hotbed is cold frame about 3 feet wide and 6 feet long that is 18 inches high in the back sloping to 12 inches high in the front. The main difference between a hotbed and cold frame is that a hot bed has a heat source to warm the soil. The boxes are generally made with rot-resistant wood or concrete blocks. The top is made of a sheet of glass, fiberglass or clear plastic, and is easy to raise for ventilation and lower to conserve heat.

Extending the Growing Season

In fall, a hotbed keeps temperatures warm enough to grow some plants during cold weather. These beds are often used to grow cool-season vegetables from seed to maturity out of season, when normal outdoors temperatures would not permit it. Hotbeds, when used in spring or fall, keep soil at 75 degrees F, which is ideal for seed germination and support growth of most plants.

The Best Location for a Hotbed

Even though hotbeds are generally heated, the best place for the beds is a sunny location with well-draining soil where the bed is protected from the wind. The slant of the roof should face south to accumulate heat. The bed also needs to be in an area close to an electrical and water source.

Seasonal Tips

Seedlings grown in a hotbed must be hardened off before planting in garden. Hardening off is the process of allowing the seedlings to slowly become acclimated to their new environment before planting them outdoors. To do so, gradually expose plants to the to open-air conditions during their last week in the hotbed. Gardeners also need to perform certain hotbed tasks each season.

• In spring, after the danger of frost has passed, gardeners can trans plant seedlings from the hotbed into the garden after hardening off. Spring is also time to harvest cool-season crops grown in hotbeds.
  
• In late winter, gardeners can sow annual flower and vegetable seeds in the hotbed so that seedlings are ready for the garden once the weather warms in spring. This is also the time to plant the seeds for cool-season vegetables that a gardener wishes to grow to maturity in the bed.
  
• In fall, gardeners can sow seeds for lettuce, spinach of other cool-season vegetables they wish to grow to maturity and harvest in spring.
  
• In winter, it may become necessary to use an insulating cover for the hotbed to conserve heat during extremely cold temperatures. Gardeners can use straw to cover the hotbed and prevent heat loss. Place straw on top and around the hotbed to avoid heat loss through the frame joints and prevent drafts.

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Unique Tips for Spring Gardeners

Gardening can look easy to most: Put seeds in the ground, water and hope there is enough light to make those seedlings grow into a delicious array of fresh fruits and vegetables in your back yard. The sad truth is that those outwardly simple plants are actually complex organisms with specific needs to grow up big and strong. Spring gardening is a perfect example, the benefits achieved due to paying attention to details and treating each specific plant accordingly are significant.

Most gardeners know that planting certain plants next to each other will enhance their growing experience, a great and unusual pair to try is sunflowers next to your cucumbers. Not only will both plants thrive in similar soil conditions, but the sweetness of the cucumber will receive a boost. In addition to those great upgrades, the strong and tall stalks of the sunflower will give that juicy cucumber something to climb.

Water is the go-to when you think of giving your plants something to drink, but did you know that chamomile tea will also keep them healthy? Not only will it keep bacterial and fungal infections from ravaging your delicate plants, but the seedlings will also avoid the dreaded dampening.

Outside influences are something every gardener will have to deal with. Let's face it, you can't be standing by at all times, so some preventative measures will put your mind at ease. Birds are a problem for those crocus bulbs, finding them a great meal. Planting some lavender nearby will distract the birds by luring them away with their lovely fragrance. Beautiful and effective!

Want to get a good start on the season? Start your seedlings indoors 2-3 weeks before with a small florescent light, no need to get anything too expensive, a normal florescent light seemed to be enough to get your little guys going. When the time comes to plant your new crops, the starts will be ready to produce that much quicker. If needed, cutting the large end off a gallon milk jug can make a great humidity dome while waiting for the weather to warm up.

Another unique tip that might help with your planting adventure is to plant by moonlight. Gardens have shown to grow faster and stronger when planted during the daylight. A bonus to this somewhat different approach is saving on your water waste, in turn helping our beloved environment stay beautiful.

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Five Tips for Spring Gardening

Spring is the perfect time to garden. Here are five tips for gardening in the spring.

1. Clear out things first before planting. Spring-time is usually when things start to regrow or begin to bloom. Before planting new flowers, plants, or trees, take a look at what you have already. Survey your yard and remove anything that's dead. Some things don't make it through the winter, and by now you'll be able to see what made it and what didn't make it. If you are planning on growing a garden, it's best to till the soil first instead of just digging a hole and planting. Tilling the ground is good because it destroys weeds, loosens the soil for easy planting, and helps mix nutrients in the ground.

2. Have a plan. Draw out your ideal garden or landscape. This will help you buy what you need so you don't buy too much or not enough. You may decide to replant things, replace things, or till the entire soil to start over. Some things to think about in your plan is cost and what you want your finished project to look like. For your vegetable garden, draw up a plan that labels where you want each vegetable plant to go. For a nice presentation, put the tallest plants in the back, such as sunflowers and cornstalk, and the shortest plants or plants that grow in the ground in the front, such as carrots and turnips.

3. Decide if you want to go organic or not. There are some pros and cons to going organic. If you have pets that may be around your garden, going organic means not using chemicals, which means your pets are safe. The con about not using chemicals and going organic means bugs and other pests could possibly ruin your plants. Going organic is more environmentally-friendly and will produce chemical-free plants and food, but it's more work. You'll need to monitor your plants closely if you go organic but it may be more rewarding for you in the end.

4. Seasonal plants are in full bloom. The wonderful part about spring gardening is that there are many beautiful flowers that only come out this time of the year. These are called annuals and are usually labeled as such in stores. These particular plants will only have one life-cycle, meaning you plant it once, usually in the spring, and it will grow and bloom then mature and die within a couple of months or up to a year from the initial planting. These particular flowers are usually visually striking and are quite beautiful. Most vegetable plants are the same concept where they are planted and have one life cycle. Many gardeners make it a habit to replace and replant these flowers and plants every spring.

5. Wear the proper protection while gardening. It's not summer yet, but you're still going to be outside and in the sun when you garden in the spring. Wear a hat that has a wide brim to protect your face and neck. You may want to even put some sunscreen on as well if you plan on gardening for a couple of hours. It's also best to wear protective gloves. This will help protect your hands, keep them clean, and make it easier to work with the soil. Gloves can help you get a good grip on plants if you are transplanting them as well. If you are working close to the ground, get a cushion for your knees so you can work at ground level. This will help you not hurt your back by bending over. Take breaks when you need to and drink water so you don't become dehydrated. It's best to start early in the morning while the ground is still soft from morning dew. This is also a good time to start since the temperature outside is still cool.

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How to Avoid the Top Five Spring Gardening Mistakes

Tips for spring gardening abound. There is information on anything from soil augmentation to buying seed starters. Lost in this sheer wealth of data is some help for those of us who have followed all the advice and ended up with gnawed off plants, dying vegetables and ailing flowers -- until now.

Over-fertilizing With Nutrients the Soil Does Not Need
You dig, you rake and then you fertilize -- and then your plants die. What went wrong? The odds are good that you augmented the soil with a nutrient that is already there while not supplying one that is missing. As noted by Eutech, a strongly acidic soil with a pH between 5.0 and 6.0, already has plenty of iron and zinc. Conversely, a strongly alkaline soil with a pH between 8.0 and 9.0 has enough phosphorus and potassium.

Solution: Before you add fertilizer, do a pH test. Know what is missing.

Planting the Wrong Plants in the Wrong Soil
Your artichoke plants like a pH level that ranges from 6.5 to 7.5. This puts it on par with lavender. Your sweet potato will tolerate a pH between 5.5 and 6.0. A regular potato might be able to handle 4.5, but do not push it. The watermelon prefers a soil with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5. Mismatch the soil and the plants and you will not have thriving flora.

Solution: If you have not yet done a pH test, do so now. Group together the plants that like similar pH levels. Granted, this might mean mixing ornamental flowers and vegetables -- and why not?

Watering to the Point of Root Rot
When you over-water, you are not doing your plants any favors. In the best-case scenario, the roots will be shallow and the plant eventually collapses under its own weight. In the worst case, the roots will rot, mold will attack the leaves and the plant dies.

Solution: Less is more. The University of Florida explains that "two deep soakings per week" are better than the more frequent light watering sessions that may find you out in the yard every evening.

Crowding to the Point of Stem Rot
Did you find a huge wagonload of must-have veggie starter plants, annuals and colorful perennials at the big box home improvement store? Did you check the spatial requirements of the plants? When you overcrowd the flowerbeds and cram the plants one right next to the other, you will likely notice blackening stems and withering leaves. Before long, you have holes in your flowerbeds.

Solution: Go easy on the big weekend plant sale. In addition to having well-drained soil that you water judiciously, the plants need some air circulation in between them. The little tags inside the pots usually tell you how much space you should leave between seedlings and plants; follow this advice to the letter!

Spreading Plant Disease and Garden Pests
You notice that some of your plants have become diseased or infested with pests. You cut, you clip, you maintain and you remove the affected pieces. Then you continue with your regular gardening tasks. In a few days, the disease and pests have spread everywhere. What happened? The answer is simple: You spread the disease with your gardening tools.

Solution: Not only should you sharpen your cutting tools frequently, but you also need to clean them in between uses. Never use the same tool for cutting diseased plants and healthy ones.

When you follow these five spring gardening tips for avoiding the pitfalls in the flowerbed, you have a better than average chance of finally getting a bumper crop of veggies this fall and enjoying gorgeous blooms all summer.

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Tips for a Beautiful Spring Garden

Spring is right around the corner, in fact less than 30 days. It is hard to imagine all this snow will be thawed by then! But with spring, it is time to get out of the house and admire the nature and soak in the warm rays of spring. If you are planning to have a spring garden, it is time to draw up the list of things you need and things you need to do

1. Clean the yard. The first task is to remove and compost any dead annual plants that remained over winter. These will not re-grow and any self-seeders have already done their job. If you had spread a layer of winter mulch to protect your plants, you'll want to remove it when plants begin to grow and danger of extreme winter temperatures has passed. Also, spruce up your garden by clearing the yard of dead sticks and leaves.

2. Trim trees. Trimming or pruning fruit trees, such as apple, pear etc., makes the trees healthier as new growth develops. It also helps make an easier harvest later. If you have rose bushes, prune your roses just as or before new growth emerges from the stems. Cutting your roses stems encourages strong, healthy growth that will produce lots of buds.

3. Plant the correct plants. Spring's cool and moist conditions is the perfect time to plant trees and shrubs to your yard. These add value and beauty to your garden; they can shade your home, reducing your summer energy bills; and if you select fruit-bearing varieties, they supply food for your family. Plant annual flowers that can take a little frost. Plant them in beds and borders or containers and gain a few early weeks of color. Be sure to check the packages so that you can be sure the plants can withstand little frost or cold and plant them during the right months.

4. Start your seeds. Growing plants from seed is a great way to save money and nurture your garden. By starting the seedlings indoors, you can gain a few extra weeks. I usually keep it simple by sprinkling seeds in moist, loosened soil outdoors either in pots or containers along the patio. Early spring is also a great time to start spuds. Check the package for proper instructions on when to get them in the soil.

5. Mulch. Once you have cleared out the yard of dead plants and cleared the winter mulch, watch for when the soil has warmed up and dried out, spread a 2-inch-deep layer of mulch (such as shredded wood, pine needles, or compost) over the soil surface to discourage weeds in the planting beds and to hold moisture for the hot summer days.

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Five Tips to Make Spring Gardening Easy

Gardening is not as difficult or overwhelming as it sounds. With a small amount of effort and maintenance, you can grow a beautiful flower garden or cultivate enough fruit and vegetables to sustain you throughout the winter.

The following tips will help make gardening fun, rewarding and exciting.

Start Composting Early

Your compost pile can include items such as banana and orange peels, fruit and vegetable flesh and skin, leaves, and dead plants. Be sure to use an equal amount of leaves and yard debris as you do fruits and vegetables. This will ensure that your compost soil remains rich in nutrients.

Gardening Begins Inside

Spring gardening actually begins in the winter. You can plant your seedlings into pods and create a makeshift greenhouse inside your home. Your seeds will have a greater chance of survival if they are planted in the ground as seedlings as opposed to seeds. You will need to purchase pods, Seed Starter Soil, seeds and saran wrap. After you plant the seed and fill the pod with the starter soil, pour water on each pod and cover with saran wrap. Watch your seeds carefully. Depending on the seed you will begin to see seedlings within 2-4 weeks.

Preparation Is Key

You must prepare your garden for the season by searching for any debris, leaves or trash that could hinder the growth of your plants. Pull any weeds that may have crept into your garden from the previous year. If you are starting anew, prepare your garden area. Once your area has been cleared, spread at least 3 inches of compost or manure in the area to begin infusing the soil with nutrients.

Plan to Plant Properly

It is best to plant certain flowers and vegetables before the summer heat starts to take its' toll. Early spring is prime time for cool season flowers and vegetables such as onions, potatoes, lettuce, kale, spinach. Don't forget to plant your shrubbery and bare-root trees during this season as well.

Involve the Family

Gardening is a rewarding hobby. It's even more rewarding when the entire family contributes. Children will learn how to measure, plant and maintain gardens, simply by participating in the gardening activities.
Make gardening a fun learning exercise by purchasing "kid sized" tools

Create a calendar with your children and assign them tasks such as watering or turning the compost pile or collecting items for the compost
Document your garden process with pictures so that your children can visualize the plant growth process

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Spring Gardening: Five Tips for the Growing Season

Planting for spring can be refreshing. It is the first sign of new life just as the cold winter months have ended. These tips will help you cultivate your garden just in time for the changing of the seasons.

Plant after the last frost
Adult plants should be planted after the last frost of the season and seeds should be started indoors just before the last frost. In the southern states, waiting until after the last frost is not as paramount but it is still recommended to err on the side of caution.

Put thought into your plant choices
While exotic plants might look great, planting for your climate is more beneficial. Native plants are typically hardier and generally require less maintenance. Also, think about the goals that you have for your garden. If you are looking to keep a well groomed garden, you may not want to grow a plant such as milkweed , which is a butterfly attractor and the preferred food source for monarch caterpillars.

On the contrary, if your goal is to create a rich learning environment for a child, a plant such as milkweed is a substantial way to teach a child about the life cycle of a butterfly.

Ask your local garden shop
If you have a question, ask away! Garden shop employees are typically well-versed on the care requirements for any plant that they carry. They can tell you whether a plant prefers full sun, part sun, or shade. They can also tell you what type of soil the plants prefer. In Florida, we have a sandier soil which is great for growing sea grapes but poor for growing tomatoes. If you are uncertain about the type of soil you need or the care that is required, do not be afraid to ask!

Top with mulch
While mulch might seem like an aesthetic touch, it actually slows down the evaporation of ground water and helps keep your plants hydrated longer. This is especially important if you are in a climate that experiences droughts. As an added bonus, mulch tends to slow down the growth of weeds, so you do not have to weed as often.

Recycle
The best part of a garden is that everything, including the dead plant clippings, is recyclable. Try building a compost heap to keep your plant trimmings so that you have your own fertilizer once it all decomposes.

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Spring Gardening - It's About Location, Location, Location

When the first warm winds of spring blow, I pick up my trowel. There is nothing more rewarding than planting spring vegetables outdoors and watching them grow. Spring gardening success starts and ends with location. While there are a few other factors determining the spring garden's fate, not enough can be said about the importance of location. You can be working on selecting that special spot now, while snow still blankets the landscape.

Mark the Locations Where Snow Melts First: Areas where the snow first melts typically have good spring sun exposure. In the summer, these locations can become too hot and too dry for gardening without significant watering. Nature's water is normally in abundance in spring, and soil temperature is the biggest determining factor in the germination of your seeds and the success of your early crops.

Pick a Dry Location: In the spring, you don't like wet or muddy feet, and neither do your plants. The locations you pick should not puddle or ice over as the snow melts. Once the snow is totally gone from the landscape, you will see that the areas you have selected are those that are well-drained and dry. On a fine spring day when the soil is dry, you can till your new garden location.

Buy a Soil Thermometer: Purchasing an inexpensive soil thermometer can save you countless fruitless hours of spring gardening. I picked up my basic dial thermometer at Home Depot for under $20, and there are many models available for under $10. Sophisticated instruments that measure temperature, moisture, sun intensity and other factors can be purchased for hundreds of dollars, but I find that all I need to know is whether the soil is warm enough. I plant when the soil temperature is at least 60 degrees. If I wait until the soil is 70 degrees, my seeds germinate just a little faster, but I've lost several weeks of spring gardening joy. If you like to get out there early, 60 degrees is fine, just be ready to protect plants from cold nights or vicious spring storms. I use Tom Clothier's Garden Walk and Talk Website and his information on germination and soil temperatures to help my own gardening along.

Plant These Spring Favorites: You will have the most success with your spring garden if you plant lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, onions or peas. Plant the vegetables you enjoy eating the most. If you hate Swiss chard (as I do) then don't plant it. Motivation to tend a garden is based on your interest in the productive output. My favorite is peas, but I find that peas are the most difficult spring vegetable to raise. I grow lettuce and spinach in large quantities to fuel my feelings of success if my on again, off again pea harvest is in an off year.
Protect from Hungry Critters: Animals enjoy the warmth of spring as much as we do, and they are usually quite active and hungry at this time of year. Unlike later in the year, when many plants are available for animals to feed on, your spring garden may contain the only attractive plants in your critter neighborhood. This means you need to fence, and fence well, against small and large critters. We are loaded with rabbits and deer as well as smaller creatures such as field mice and moles. A four foot high fence with 1/2 inch or smaller mesh and with the fence bottom buried 6 inches into the ground is most successful at keeping the animals from feasting on your lettuce before you even get to taste it.

Despite this year's harsh winter and heavy snow loads, spring is right around the corner. If you spend this wintry time searching for that perfect spring garden location and follow my simple gardening tips, you will be rewarded many times over with a plentiful harvest late in the spring.

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Five Unusual Ideas and Helpful Tips for Spring Gardening

If you are looking for a healthy garden that will bloom fast and if you need your vegetables to grow bigger, it doesn't take fancy tools, expensive products or even special skills to have a fuller, healthier garden. What it does take is helpful ideas and tips which can help a person who may seem as if they have a brown thumb, because not everybody was born with gardening skills or a green thumb. Here are five helpful tips that are unusual yet will assist you to have a healthier garden.

1. Tip One: Plant by moon light
To have better-tasting veggies you should garden and plant by the light of the moon. This helps your garden flourish better as well as fuller and healthier. Moon light is an added bonus. The garden grows faster and stronger by moon light than it will if you plant by day.

2. Tip two: Plant in odd numbers
To make sure your garden looks balanced and more pleasing to the eye, plant in odd numbers. Planting in odd numbers removes the illusion that plants need to be bigger and healthier. Also, remember to plant on a cool moon light day.

3. Tip three: Use eggs shells as fertilizer
To fertilize the garden, use egg shells to help vegetables grow bigger and healthier. Dried egg shells are rich in calcium carbonate. Crush the egg shells up in a blender and neatly place them in the garden to enrich the soil.

4. Tip four: Water your plants with boiled cooking water
To water the garden, use the water left after boiling pasta and vegetables as it is full of left-over vitamins and nutrients. After cooking vegetables, allow the water to cool at room temperature and then use this to water your plants for a greener and healthier result.

5. Tip Five: Plant Placement Order
Consider the order of plants in your garden. Plant the short ones on the south side of your garden and the tall plants on the north side of the garden. This will prevent the short plants from being over-shadowed by taller plants, because sometimes tall plants shade the short plants from the sun.
Spring is a vital time to prepare the garden soil, get the seedlings started and transplant the vegetables. Also, spring probably has the most unpredictable weather and is one of the busiest seasons for raising a garden. Nevertheless with these helpful ideas and tips you can harvest healthier vegetables like corn, peas or lima bean, of your choice. Happy gardening!

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Learning How to Grow a Bountiful Spring Garden: Confessions of a Rookie Gardener

Hello, my name is Sophie Walton and I confess to murder...murder of my spring garden.
Sometime after turning 45, I decided that I was Ouiser (aka "Weezer") from Steel Magnolias. I should wear overalls and a floppy hat while growing tomatoes. There was one problem with this scenario: I had no idea how to grow a spring garden. My idea of gardening was browsing through the Whole Foods next to my office, but I was determined that I would learn how to garden in spite of my husband's irritating laughter every time I mentioned the words "spring garden."

I wish that I could say I am an expert gardener but I cannot. However, I have managed to learn enough spring gardening tips to keep my plants alive for a full season.

Five spring gardening tips from the trenches

• Dirt is important. Who knew that dirt came in different types? I was very proud of my first spring garden. The rows were so neatly planted, I remembered to water my plants each day and plucked each weed that dared to raise its ugly head in my garden. Then all of my plants died! Good garden soil must include a mixture of fertilizers, including organic animal manures and nitrogen for young plants to grow and thrive. You should also look for soil that allows for good drainage. A great garden begins with good soil.
• Timing is everything. One reason my first garden failed is I went to the home improvement store, chose the prettiest tomato plants they had, brought them home and plunked them into my garden. I did not understand why those pretty, lush, healthy plants died within a few weeks. It was because they were greenhouse plants and bringing them home and thrusting them into the reality of my garden was too much for them to handle, so they did the only thing they could -- withered and died. I learned that it was too early in the season to plant tomatoes in my area. Once I learned more about the seasons of planting (you can check your USDA plant hardiness map here), my spring garden began to flourish and produce edible vegetables and fruit.
• Vegetables do have friends. Who knew that there was more to the children's cartoon "Veggie Tales" than a biblical lesson. There is also a great tip for spring gardeners: Some vegetables prefer to grow beside other vegetables. For example, my tomatoes did much better when I grew them with basil and my corn, and green beans do much better when they are side-by-side. Some plants thrive off other plants when they are paired together in a spring garden. Before planting, refer to this chart to find the vegetables that are friendly with each other and those that are bad companions in the garden.
• Weeds are bad. I hate weeding because it is tedious and boring. However, I quickly learned that if I do not stay on top of weeding, it quickly becomes a huge gardening problem. I pluck weeds each time I water my garden, and I also learned how to control weeds naturally with mulch. Weed control is important to keep your garden healthy.
• A protected garden is a successful garden. I am a firm believer that part of the reason we experience more illnesses now than ever before is because of what we put into our body, the ground, and the air around us. Therefore, I hated the thought of using any type of chemical pesticides in my garden. Unfortunately, without some type of garden pest control, my tender vegetable plants were a feast for insects and other garden parasites. I found that using organic pesticides and learning about organic pest control helped stop weeds and other insects from reaping what I had sowed.

As I prepare for spring gardening this year, I rejoice over the fact that my husband had to literally "eat his words" as he enjoys the fruits of my labor each year.

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Grow Your Best Garden With These Five Spring Gardening Tips

In the Midwest, we like to combat winter cabin fever by starting our garden planning well before the mid-May last frost. Right now is the perfect time to get ready for the rapidly approaching growing season. Here are some tips to aid you in getting your spring garden off to a successful start.

Keep It Simple
Whether you're planting your first garden or have been growing for years, there is always a new variety of plant, fruit, or vegetable that begs to be planted. This is part of the fun of gardening, so it's okay to give in sometimes -- just not every time! It's easy to overestimate your enthusiasm and available growing space (both of which are in short supply in the heat of July) and waste money on plants and seeds that never find a home in your garden. Think about what worked last year -- and what didn't -- and what you'd like to accomplish this year.

Last year, I planted far too many tomatoes. This year I won't make the same mistakes, no matter how deeply discounted my garden center's tomato plants! If you're brand new to gardening, have an experienced friend come look around your yard and give you their opinion on your plans.
The keeping it simple motto applies to equipment and other supplies too. Before you buy trellis panels, bamboo stakes, or tons of bags of compost, see if you can plant vining plants near a fence, use small branches from your yard to stake plants, or make use of leaves or other yard debris to make your own compost pile.

Start Now
Now is the time to begin starting your seeds indoors. There are many benefits to this -- including a sooner harvest of your peas and greens!
Starting your seeds in a 72-celled flat and then potting them up into a 50-celled flat before planting them outside gives them a burst of new nutrients and plenty of room to grow - which means they'll be plenty strong by the time they're ready for their final planting outdoors. The time to move them from the smaller to larger-celled flat is when they have two sets of true leaves (the original set of leaves they send up when they first germinate will likely have withered at this point - that's normal!).

Build a Compost Pile
This is one of the most satisfying things I do as a gardener. Composting is when you take food and yard wastes and combine them in a pile, where they break down and become a rich hummus that you can add to your garden. There are many different ways to compost, but the simplest way is the one I described above. If you put together a nicely balanced compost pile starting now, you'll have a batch of garden-ready compost to help out your soil mid-season.

Consider adding red wiggler worms to your compost pile. One pound of worms will break down one half pound of food and yard waste each day! This will help your compost mature more quickly. When you're ready to transfer your compost to the garden, save a bucketful of that pile to help populate your new one with worms.

Keep a Log
I confess, even though I've been gardening for years, I only starting keeping a garden log last year. I use it to jot down quick notes on what seeds I started that day, what was ready to harvest, when a vegetable plant stops producing, and anything else I think might be useful to remember. It's helpful to look back over it during the off-season when I'm daydreaming about next year's garden. Your log can be as simple as a big wall calendar or a blank book - or you can buy one ready-made just for this purpose

Surprisingly, I haven't been able to find an app that will do what old-fashioned pen and paper will. There are, though, many useful gardening apps that work well with the notes you've kept and may help you figure out problematic patterns you've noticed, plan for future seasons, or identify a garden pest.

Think Ahead
Spring is just the beginning! Keep in mind that many spring plants don't like the heat of summer. Peas and lettuce are good examples - start these indoors and plant outside as soon as you can so you can reuse their space for planting sun-loving plants once the temperatures begin to climb.
Extend the growing season for your lettuce by shielding it from the sun. How? Sprinkle lettuce seed - sparingly - in the soil between tall, leafy plants such as tomatoes, sunflowers, or bush beans. The shade from these plants will help shield the lettuce from the heat.

Just Do It
If you're a first time gardener who's looking at all of this information and feeling overwhelmed, this tip is for you: just get out there and plant something. Sure, there are methods and best practices to follow. Of course, I would love to see you follow each of these tips. Keep this in mind, though: plants have a will to live. You'll get to experience this when pulling weeds mid-season! If you have a desire to garden and the time and will to follow through, you will no doubt be successful - even if you don't have the most bountiful garden your first year. Plant according to seed packet directions in healthy soil, water as directed, and enjoy the experience. Next year's garden will be even better.
If you're truly short on tools or time, you can "build" a raised bed quickly and simply. Lay a thick layer of cardboard, paper, and/or paper bags on the spot where you want to plant -- no need to remove any grass that may be there. On top of that, apply a 6" layer of potting soil. You're ready to plant!

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How to Rotate a Garden Crop to Follow Seasonal Rains and Periods of Drought

How to Plant for the Weather

If you live in the West like I do, the ongoing drought and low water table means that gardeners often run out of well water long before everything has been irrigated in the the vegetable garden. While one solution is to not plant anything at all, a better solution is to adopt low water practices to keep your vegetables alive.

Some of the changes I will make to my vegetable garden this year include flat plantings, heavy layers of mulch, a drip irrigation systems and choosing low-water summer vegetables varieties. I will also start early and rotate my crops so that they can follow the weather. Here's how it's done.

Early plantings
As soon as the ground is workable in the spring, plant your first batch of quick growing spring veggies such as salad greens, spinach, radishes, turnips, and green onion starts into the ground. Replant these same vegetables every 1-2 weeks until the seeds stop sprouting.

Early, staggered plantings lets you take advantage of spring rains and a higher soil moisture content to keep your garden alive. Once the weather heats up and these veggies start to droop however, they should be harvested and the plot allowed to sit fallow for the rest of the summer.

Start a limited selection of summer crops indoors.
During a drought, it's best to limit your summer veggie selections to ones that are low water tolerant or have high yields in proportion to the water used. Roma and cherry tomatoes are good selections, so is are peppers, okra and Cumshaw squash. These vegetables should be started indoors at least 8-10 weeks before the last spring frost. An early start means that they will have an established root system by the time the water has to be scaled back in the summer.

Late planting
In a traditional garden, plantings are staggered from early Spring to late fall for a continuous supply of produce. During drought years, skip the summer rotation (except in low water plots) and wait until late fall when the temps are slightly cooler to plant the last rotation of veggies. Low water fall crops such as Swiss Chard, Kale, spinach and turnips can be sown directly into the empty beds that had earlier held your spring veggies. Stagger these plantings for a steady supply of produce until the first hard frost.

Managing a vegetable garden in periods of drought is a bit of a balancing act. Water-wise irrigation practices along with matching vegetables to the weather is what will produce the highest yield with the least amount of irrigation water.

 

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Best Flowers to Plant for Non-Stop Bloom Color Spring Through Fall

As a Master Gardener, I've never met a flower that I didn't like. Some flowers work harder to win my affection, but all have my admiration. Since I can't plant them all in my landscape, I opted to plant annuals and perennials that will produce their lovely blooms at varying times so I can have non-stop bloom color from spring through fall. These flower choices will help you achieve the same season-long bloom color too.

Annuals
For plants that will literally bloom their heads off, annuals can't be beat. Because they only have one season to live to produce seeds for a succeeding generation, annuals will produce in non-stop profusion.

* Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) can be relied on all summer for a spectacular show of colorful blooms that make excellent cut flowers. Plant cosmos in full sun and allow mid-summer blooms to go to seed so this 'annual' will produce volunteer seedlings next year, giving you a head start on planting season.

* Blanket Flower (Gaillardia) produces daisy-like blooms from May till September. Plant seeds in well-draining soil that is located in full sun. Blanket Flower will reach a mature height of 3 feet and comes in bloom colors of red, orange and yellow.

* Flowering Tobacco (Nicotiana alata) produces fragrant trumpet-shaped blooms in pink, red, white or lime green that open in the early evening. The large-leafed plant grows well in most soil and can be sown as seeds directly into the soil Mature Flowering Tobacco will be about 4 feet tall.

* Zinnias (Zinnia elegans) Zinnia comes in many shapes, sizes and colors, but if you want non-stop bloom color from these old favorites, choose a compact growing variety that has a mature height of about 2 feet.

Perennials
Choose some of these perennials that will remain in bloom for at least 6 weeks to help you achieve bloom color spring through fall.

* Daylily (Hemerocallis) sun-loving daylilies are easy to grow, adapt to most soil conditions and are drought-tolerant. The hardy perennials comes in every bloom color except blue and must be dead-headed daily for best bloom results.

* Bee Balm (Monardo didymo) is tall, fragrant and produces bloom color during the hottest, driest part of summer when everything else in the garden is wilting. Butterflies, hummingbirds and bees are attracted to the large crimson or violet blooms.

* Verbena (Verbena hybrida) is another plant that thrives during the Dog Days of summer and rewards you with deep purple flowers that hug the ground. Plant Verbena as a living mulch tucked in among other annuals and perennials or plant in hanging baskets.

* Feverfew (Chrysanthemum parthenium) produces single or double daisy-like blooms that can be cut repeatedly throughout the growing season. Feverfew re-seeds itself and must be dead-headed during blooming season.

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